Episode 5 of Interronauts is our d-d-d-inosaur special. We talk about the new tyrannosaur skull that reveals the terrible lizard’s sensitive side, and how Mars may have lost its atmosphere (spoiler: it was solar winds). On the CSIRO front, we talk about the new lab-on-a-glove, able to detect the deadly OP compounds on surfaces. And, being our dino special, we speak with Dr Steve Salisbury from the University of Queensland about the Dinosaur Coast, the thrilling multitude of prints and an imprint from the world’s largest foot.

Science news

Tyrannosaurs: an untold story of love and sensitivity — “We’re over 66 million years too late to know what tyrannosaurus mating rituals entailed. Whether the immense carnivores courted like oversized albatrosses, offered gifts of semi-rotted triceratops meat, or simply got down to business without pretence is a vignette lost to Cretaceous time. But research published last week in the journal Scientific Reports has spurred headlines suggesting that the great and powerful T. rex might have been a sensitive lover,” from The Guardian. Full paper, here.

What happened to Mars’ atmosphere? — “Solar wind and radiation are responsible for stripping the Martian atmosphere, transforming Mars from a planet that could have supported life billions of years ago into a frigid desert world, according to new results,” Science Daily. Full paper, here.

Interview

We spoke with Dr. Steve Salisbury from the University of Queensland who was part of a team studying the Dinosaur Coast, near Broome, Western Australia. The Dinosaur Coast is one of the most diverse dinosaur trackways in the world and is now home to the world’s largest footprint at 1.7 m. Here’s a great write up from the ABC, and here’s the research paper.

Here’s an extended edition of the interview:

Lab-on-a-glove: Swipe right on nerve agents

“The ‘lab-on-a-glove’ was designed specifically with the defence and forensic industries in mind, providing reliable, real-time and on-site chemical screening for rapid response to terror threats. But this clever device might also be useful in the food security industry to screen for contaminated food at the farm gate,” from our blog. Learn more about the handy little thing here.

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